Messi came to life midway through the first half, scoring two goals within a four-minute span to rally his team from a goal they conceded in the opening minute. Messi found the net in both the 26th and 30th minutes of the match (video below) to send his team into the halftime break up 2-1. Later, a Messi pass to teammate Luis Suárez allowed them to tack on a late goal for the 3-1 final.
With his two goals against the Philadelphia Union and just six games remaining in the MLS regular season, Messi is in the mix for the Golden Boot award as MLS top scorer (see table further below).
Messi was making his return to his club after a long recovery layoff due to an ankle injury suffered in the final of the 2024 Copa América which at the time, forced him off the field in tears. His last match for Inter Miami came back on June 1, and he had missed 13 Inter Miami matches since then — a span of 105 days.
Inter Miami didn’t suffer too much without Messi, and they still sit atop the league with the best record in MLS as the club chases its first MLS Supporters’ Shield trophy and the points record in MLS. Then the MLS playoffs will kick off on October 23 as Messi and Miami will attempt to win their first MLS Cup.
Video of Messi’s Goals vs Philadelphia Union
Inter Miami were losing 1-0 before Messi singlehandedly brought his team back
Here’s the video of each of the two Messi goals. It started with this finish, as he cut out a Philly defender before sending the ball into the back of the net:
And then came the second goal moments later which broke the back of the visiting Union:
The victory in the match is key for Inter Miami in its quest to finish the season with the best record in MLS. Not only would that give them their first Supporters’ Shield trophy as the top team in the single table, but it would also secure home-field advantage for the entirety of the MLS playoffs, including the MLS Cup final on December 7, 2024.
| MLS Supporters’ Shield Race 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | Club | Points | Matches Remaining | Wins | Goal Differential | Goals Scored | Goals Allowed |
| 1. | Inter Miami | 62 | 6 | 19 | +24 | 65 | 41 |
| 2. | LA Galaxy | 55 | 5 | 16 | +17 | 57 | 40 |
| 3. | FC Cincinnati | 52 | 6 | 16 | +12 | 48 | 36 |
| 4. | Columbus Crew | 50 | 7 | 14 | +24 | 52 | 28 |
| 5. | LAFC | 48 | 7 | 14 | +14 | 50 | 36 |
Is Lionel Messi the MLS Top Scorer?
Here’s where the Argentine legend ranks in the updated goals table
Messi and his good friend, Luis Suárez, are both in the running for the 2024 MLS Golden Boot. It’s a sign of just how productive Messi has been in MLS that he still has a chance to win the award despite missing as much time as he did.
Messi essentially sat out the entire summer between June 1 and his return on September 14. But he bagged enough goals before his forced hiatus to find himself in with a chance with six matches left to play.
| MLS Top Scorer Standings 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | Matches Played | Minutes Played |
| 1. | Christian Benteke | D.C. United | 19 | 25 | 2151 |
| 2. | Cristian Arango | Real Salt Lake | 17 | 25 | 1989 |
| Luis Suárez | Inter Miami | 17 | 21 | 1531 | |
| Denis Bouanga | LAFC | 17 | 26 | 2320 | |
| 5. | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 14 | 13 | 1125 |
| Mateusz Bogusz | LAFC | 14 | 26 | 2212 | |
| Daniel Gazdag | Philadelphia | 14 | 24 | 2040 | |
| Dejan Joveljic | LA Galaxy | 14 | 23 | 1572 | |
| Petar Musa | FC Dallas | 14 | 25 | 1944 | |
| Rafael Navarro | Colorado Rapids | 14 | 28 | 2258 | |
Messi has six matches remaining in the MLS season after the match against Philadelphia as he makes an attempt to close the gap with Christian Benteke, who is currently the top scorer with his 19 goals for D.C. United. Here is what Messi’s remaining MLS regular season looks like below. In MLS, any goals scored in the playoffs do not count toward the MLS Golden Boot award.
| Inter Miami 2024 Schedule (Remaining) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Stadium | Matchday |
| Wed, Sept 18, 2024 | at Atlanta United | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga.) | 29 of 34 |
| Sat, Sept. 21, 2024 | at New York City FC | Yankee Stadium (New York, N.Y.) | 30 of 34 |
| Sat, Sept. 28, 2024 | vs. Charlotte FC | Chase Stadium (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) | 31 of 34 |
| Wed, Oct. 2, 2024 | at Columbus Crew | Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio) | 32 of 34 |
| Sat, Oct. 5, 2024 | at Toronto FC | BMO Field (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) | 33 of 34 |
| Sat, Oct. 19, 2024 | vs. New England Revolution | Chase Stadium (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) | 34 of 34 |
Can Lionel Messi Win MLS MVP Award?
If he can make a significant contribution in what’s left of 2024, Messi has a chance
Especially if he can win the MLS Golden Boot, it is not out of the question that Messi can also take home the MLS MVP award despite missing three months of the season. Plus, if he can lead Inter Miami to a new single-season points record, that would make his case even stronger.
Here are the players who are realistically in the running for the MVP award and their credentials as things stand with four weeks remaining in the MLS regular season. The voting for the MVP award — players, media and coaches and club executives vote for this award and others — takes place at the end of the regular season and the announcement is typically made in the week leading up to MLS Cup, which is being held on December 7 this year.
| MLS MVP Candidates in 2024 (alphabetical order) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Club | Matches | Goals | Assists | Club Achievements |
| Lucho Acosta | FC Cincinnati | 26 | 11 | 18 | FC Cincinnati qualified for MLS playoff berth |
| Chicho Arango | Real Salt Lake | 25 | 17 | 11 | Club in contention for MLS playoff berth |
| Christian Benteke | D.C. United | 25 | 19 | 6 | D.C. contending for playoff berth in East |
| Denis Bouanga | LAFC | 26 | 17 | 9 | Reached Open Cup & Leagues Cup final, in race for West No. 1 seed |
| Evander | Portland Timbers | 23 | 12 | 17 | Club in contention for MLS playoff berth in West |
| Cucho Hernandez | Columbus Crew | 21 | 13 | 10 | Won Leagues Cup final, reached Champions Cup final, qualified for playoffs |
| Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 13 | 14 | 14 | In contention for MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS points record |
| Gabriel Pec | LA Galaxy | 28 | 11 | 10 | Club in contention for No. 1 seed in West, qualified for playoffs |
| Diego Rossi | Columbus Crew | 27 | 10 | 11 | Won Leagues Cup final, reached Champions Cup final, qualified for playoffs |
| Luis Suárez | Inter Miami | 21 | 17 | 6 | In contention for MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS points record |
How Many Games Did Messi Miss?
A gruesome ankle injury in the 2024 Copa América led to a long recovery
Messi played his last match with Inter Miami on June 1 before joining Argentina for international duty at the 2024 Copa América tournament. But little did he know at the time that he would only return to wear the Inter Miami pink a full three months later.
The 37-year-old rolled his ankle in the Copa América final against Colombia with cameras capturing the nasty swelling and his tears on the bench as the injury caused him to exit the tournament for what was likely the final time. Argentina were able to win the final without him, and the ankle didn’t prevent him from celebrating postgame.
But after the tournament, it was clear that Messi would need a lengthy recovery period. He was in a protective boot for a few weeks, then trained solo for a while in the gym, before rejoining his teammates and finally returning to action on September 14. He missed a total of 13 matches between MLS play and Leagues Cup action, but Inter Miami still managed to win 10 of them (chart below).
| Inter Miami recent results without Messi | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| June 15, 2024 | at Philadelphia Union (MLS) | 2-1 win |
| June 19, 2024 | vs. Columbus Crew (MLS) | 2-1 win |
| June 29, 2024 | at Nashville SC (MLS) | 2-1 win |
| July 3, 2024 | at Charlotte FC (MLS) | 2-1 win |
| July 6, 2024 | at FC Cincinnati (MLS) | 6-1 loss |
| July 17, 2024 | vs. Toronto FC (MLS) | 3-1 win |
| July 20, 2024 | vs. Chicago Fire (MLS) | 2-1 win |
| July 27, 2024 | vs. Puebla (Leagues Cup) | 2-0 win |
| August 3, 2024 | at Tigres (Leagues Cup) | 2-1 loss |
| August 8, 2024 | vs. Toronto FC (Leagues Cup) | 4-3 win |
| August 13, 2024 | at Columbus (Leagues Cup) | 3-2 loss |
| August 24, 2024 | vs. FC Cincinnati (MLS) | 2-0 win |
| August 31, 2024 | at Chicago Fire (MLS) | 4-1 win |
Can Lionel Messi Win The MLS Championship?
Here are the trophies that Messi can add to his trophy cabinet
Lionel Messi has already won a trophy with Inter Miami since arriving in the summer of 2023. He led his club to the 2023 Leagues Cup title in a magical run that ended with a penalty-kick shootout similar to how Argentina and Messi famously won the FIFA World Cup just a few months before, in December 2022.
Here are the trophies that Messi can win by playing in MLS with Inter Miami:
- MLS Cup: Winner of the playoff tournament which crowns every season’s MLS champion. Here’s everything you need to know about how the MLS playoffs work.
- MLS Supporters’ Shield:Â Awarded to the team with the best record at the end of the MLS regular season (not including the playoffs).
- Leagues Cup: Annual tournament involving all the clubs in MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX. Messi and Inter Miami won this in 2023.
- U.S. Open Cup: This is the domestic cup knockout tournament of the United States. Inter Miami advanced to the final in 2023, but lost at home to the Houston Dynamo. Inter Miami did not participate in 2024.
- Campeones Cup:Â A single match between the MLS Cup champion and the Liga MX champion from Mexico. This is played every year in September. If Inter Miami win MLS Cup this year, they would play for the Campeones Cup in September 2025.
- CONCACAF Champions Cup:Â This is the equivalent of the UEFA Champions League, except for North America. It is held annually. Inter Miami qualified for the 2024 tournament as 2023 Leagues Cup champion, but they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Mexico’s CF Monterrey.
- FIFA Club World Cup:Â The winner of the CONCACAF Champions Cup plays in the FIFA Club World Cup, which brings together the continental club champions from around the world to play in a tournament which will be held in the USA starting in 2025.
In 2024, Messi can add the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup to the Leagues Cup he won last year. He and Inter Miami would then set their sights on the trophies that are left on the list in 2025.
There is no MLS team that has won every single trophy above, though there are some teams that have come close. An MLS team has never played in the FIFA Club World Cup.
